Authors note: Hey, this chapter is about Squall and Rinoa. If you don't like this pairing for some reason, feel free to skip over this chapter. However, the ending may not make as much sense. I don't wanna make you read anything you dislike though. Well, if you like Rinoa/Squall pairings (Such as myself), then ENJOY!!! = )
Rinoa's heels clicked down the hallway of Balamb Garden. She stopped when she came to the door of Squall's dorm. A little nervous, she knocked at the door. She waited a few seconds, of the type that last an eternity, and finally Squall opened the door.
Squall stood in the doorway, looking tired and haggard. His expression turned to confusion though and he asked her, "Rinoa? Why are you here? It's almost midnight."
"I know Squall. But, you really worried me....." Rinoa said quietly, looking down at the floor. She felt awkward standing in his hallway. "Do you mind if I come in?"
Squall sighed and stepped to the side of the doorway, and allowed her to walk in. Then, he peeked outside of the door to see if anyone was there, and shut the door behind him.
Squall ran a hand through his shaggy hair and said, "You know I can get in trouble for having you in here, right?"
Rinoa walked over to Squall's bed and took a seat on it. "Well I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on with you."
Squall could tell that she was serious. She looked him in the eye, awaiting his response. Squall rolled his eyes and walked over to her. He let out a deep breath and sat next to her. Rinoa smiled.
Rinoa saw that he was a little nervous and set her hand on his thigh. He looked up to her and she told him, "Don't worry."
Rinoa removed her hand, and Squall began, "Well.....I don't know where to start....."
He paused for a second and Rinoa took his hand into hers. This was obviously something huge.
"I learned something today.....It changes everything," he continued.
"Okay," Rinoa said, urging him on further.
Squall squeezed her hand harder as he quietly delivered his next sentence. "Laguna is my father."
Rinoa sat stunned. Finally she managed to stutter, "Wh-what???"
"He told me today," Squall said blankly. He stared ahead to the wall as he spoke.
"Oh my God Squall.....Is this a good thing for you?" She put an arm around him, but he shook it off. He stood up and walked to a corner of the room.
"What do you think Rinoa?" He said with a small amount of rage. As he proceeded, his anger heightened. "Is it a good thing to know you had a father that decided he would just leave you at an orphanage? Would you want to know that you weren't wanted!?"
Squall stopped and knelt down in his corner. He cupped his head in his hands. Rinoa walked over to him and knelt in front of him. She began to speak and Squall looked up to her. He was obviously on the brink of crying, something Rinoa had never seen him do before.
Rinoa listened intently as he continued. "He said he didn't know he had a son until he got back from the war. Raine, who I guess is my mother, had died during this time. I'd been sent to an orphanage, but he never bothered to go find me!"
"You don't know that Squall," Rinoa said.
"That's bull shit Rinoa! And you know it. Besides, even after he found me, he waited months to tell me," Squall argued. Now, the first tear fell down Squall's cheek. He frantically brushed it away, as if it had never fallen.
"Squall, I'm sure that he was just afraid to tell you. Maybe he was waiting until the time was right," she suggested. Squall rolled his eyes and stood up. Then he uttered, "Whatever."
There was silence between the two. Just as Rinoa was starting to make her way toward him again, Squall spoke, with his back to her. "You know what? You said if I told you my problem, you would leave. So why don't you go?"
"I'm not going to leave you now Squall. Remember when we promised we'd always be there for each other? Well I'm gonna be here for you," Rinoa said strongly.
Silence once again overwhelmed the room. Then Squall turned around and said in a cracked voice, "I yelled at him.....I told him I didn't want him in my life. You should have seen the pain in his eyes....."
Rinoa could see he was fighting back tears. "Squall.....It doesn't matter about the past, you can't change that. You can have him in your life NOW. That's all that matters."
Another tear fell from Squall's eye and Rinoa put her arms around him, and held him tight. He didn't fight her hug, and squeezed her back. Rinoa was a bit surprised, but not as surprised as she was when Squall whispered into her ear, "I love you Rinoa." Her eyes widened, and she said nothing. When she didn't respond, Squall pulled away from her and said, "God, I'm such an idiot....."
"No, Squall!" Rinoa said. "Don't say that.....I'm just not sure if you realize what you're saying right now. You're not in the best condition."
Squall's face turned red with embarrassment. He had never said that to anyone, and he felt terrible since she didn't say it back.
"Can you just leave Rinoa?" Squall pleaded, a tinge of anger lingering in his voice.
"Squall....." she began, but he cut her off.
"Just go!" he screamed. He scared her, and she backed away.
"If that's what you want, then goodbye," she said with a little hurt. She hurried out of the room and shut the door behind her. Squall plopped down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling, trying to sort things out.
Rinoa's heels clicked down the hallway of Balamb Garden. She stopped when she came to the door of Squall's dorm. A little nervous, she knocked at the door. She waited a few seconds, of the type that last an eternity, and finally Squall opened the door.
Squall stood in the doorway, looking tired and haggard. His expression turned to confusion though and he asked her, "Rinoa? Why are you here? It's almost midnight."
"I know Squall. But, you really worried me....." Rinoa said quietly, looking down at the floor. She felt awkward standing in his hallway. "Do you mind if I come in?"
Squall sighed and stepped to the side of the doorway, and allowed her to walk in. Then, he peeked outside of the door to see if anyone was there, and shut the door behind him.
Squall ran a hand through his shaggy hair and said, "You know I can get in trouble for having you in here, right?"
Rinoa walked over to Squall's bed and took a seat on it. "Well I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on with you."
Squall could tell that she was serious. She looked him in the eye, awaiting his response. Squall rolled his eyes and walked over to her. He let out a deep breath and sat next to her. Rinoa smiled.
Rinoa saw that he was a little nervous and set her hand on his thigh. He looked up to her and she told him, "Don't worry."
Rinoa removed her hand, and Squall began, "Well.....I don't know where to start....."
He paused for a second and Rinoa took his hand into hers. This was obviously something huge.
"I learned something today.....It changes everything," he continued.
"Okay," Rinoa said, urging him on further.
Squall squeezed her hand harder as he quietly delivered his next sentence. "Laguna is my father."
Rinoa sat stunned. Finally she managed to stutter, "Wh-what???"
"He told me today," Squall said blankly. He stared ahead to the wall as he spoke.
"Oh my God Squall.....Is this a good thing for you?" She put an arm around him, but he shook it off. He stood up and walked to a corner of the room.
"What do you think Rinoa?" He said with a small amount of rage. As he proceeded, his anger heightened. "Is it a good thing to know you had a father that decided he would just leave you at an orphanage? Would you want to know that you weren't wanted!?"
Squall stopped and knelt down in his corner. He cupped his head in his hands. Rinoa walked over to him and knelt in front of him. She began to speak and Squall looked up to her. He was obviously on the brink of crying, something Rinoa had never seen him do before.
Rinoa listened intently as he continued. "He said he didn't know he had a son until he got back from the war. Raine, who I guess is my mother, had died during this time. I'd been sent to an orphanage, but he never bothered to go find me!"
"You don't know that Squall," Rinoa said.
"That's bull shit Rinoa! And you know it. Besides, even after he found me, he waited months to tell me," Squall argued. Now, the first tear fell down Squall's cheek. He frantically brushed it away, as if it had never fallen.
"Squall, I'm sure that he was just afraid to tell you. Maybe he was waiting until the time was right," she suggested. Squall rolled his eyes and stood up. Then he uttered, "Whatever."
There was silence between the two. Just as Rinoa was starting to make her way toward him again, Squall spoke, with his back to her. "You know what? You said if I told you my problem, you would leave. So why don't you go?"
"I'm not going to leave you now Squall. Remember when we promised we'd always be there for each other? Well I'm gonna be here for you," Rinoa said strongly.
Silence once again overwhelmed the room. Then Squall turned around and said in a cracked voice, "I yelled at him.....I told him I didn't want him in my life. You should have seen the pain in his eyes....."
Rinoa could see he was fighting back tears. "Squall.....It doesn't matter about the past, you can't change that. You can have him in your life NOW. That's all that matters."
Another tear fell from Squall's eye and Rinoa put her arms around him, and held him tight. He didn't fight her hug, and squeezed her back. Rinoa was a bit surprised, but not as surprised as she was when Squall whispered into her ear, "I love you Rinoa." Her eyes widened, and she said nothing. When she didn't respond, Squall pulled away from her and said, "God, I'm such an idiot....."
"No, Squall!" Rinoa said. "Don't say that.....I'm just not sure if you realize what you're saying right now. You're not in the best condition."
Squall's face turned red with embarrassment. He had never said that to anyone, and he felt terrible since she didn't say it back.
"Can you just leave Rinoa?" Squall pleaded, a tinge of anger lingering in his voice.
"Squall....." she began, but he cut her off.
"Just go!" he screamed. He scared her, and she backed away.
"If that's what you want, then goodbye," she said with a little hurt. She hurried out of the room and shut the door behind her. Squall plopped down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling, trying to sort things out.